Menstrual cycle characteristics and steroid hormone, prolactin, and growth factor levels in premenopausal women.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Menstrual cycle characteristics are markers of endocrine milieu. However, associations between age at menarche and adulthood sex steroid hormone levels have been inconsistent, and data on menstrual characteristics and non-sex steroid hormones are sparse.

Methods

We assessed the relations of menstrual characteristics with premenopausal plasma sex steroid hormones, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), prolactin, and growth factors among 2,745 premenopausal women (age 32-52) from the Nurses' Health Study II. Geometric means and tests for trend were calculated using multivariable general linear models.

Results

Early age at menarche was associated with higher premenopausal early-follicular free estradiol (percent difference < 12 vs. > 13 years = 11%), early-follicu

SUBMITTER: Farland LV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5718047 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature